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Sorrow, strength reflected in Lahaina’s signs

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Since a wildfire wiped out much of Lahaina town and claimed at least 97 lives, public displays of crosses, flags and signs have popped up on the side of roads, businesses and tunnels as residents send messages of hope to each other and warnings to outsiders intent on buying up property after the disaster. The Maui News photographed some of these signs last week that serve as a reflection of the sorrow and resiliency of a tight-knit community.

FIRST PHOTO: A school bus leads traffic past signs supporting Lahaina and its people along Honoapiilani Highway in Olowalu on the morning of Sept. 13. The signs were made by displaced Lahaina resident Cheri Duncan and two friends, Sienna Nelson and Jamie Welliver. Duncan, who lost her home and two businesses in the fire, said she saw a handmade sign that gave her comfort after the fire and decided to see if she could do the same for others. "It was just a simple glittery 'L,' " Duncan said. "It made me smile. I just wanted to be creative and use some energy to make someone else smile." Duncan, a water photographer and entrepreneur who was in the final stages of turning a school bus into a food truck/coffee stand, said her home was located one block from where the fire started. "It's just tough," she said. "I'm focusing on the positives. I'm certainly somebody who focuses on solutions."

SECOND PHOTO: A handmade reminder about respect is posted along the Lahaina Bypass on Sept. 13.

THIRD PHOTO: Dry grass grows beneath a sign supporting Lahaina and its people posted along Honoapiilani Highway in Olowalu on Sept. 13. Maui's long-standing drought conditions and abundance of dry grasses, including nonnative vegetation that conservationists say increase fire risks, have long been a concern for the community.

FOURTH PHOTO: A sign along the Lahaina Bypass puts would-be speculators on notice on Sept. 13. Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press that the state is investigating several people who have allegedly made unsolicited offers for property in Lahaina.

FIFTH PHOTO: The bright signs greeting motorists entering the pali tunnel have changed occasionally since the fires last month, but always offer thoughtful, uplifting messages. This one on Sept. 14 honored the lives lost in the fire -- initially estimated at 115 but later reduced to 97 on Sept. 15 after authorities said further testing revealed they had multiple DNA samples from some victims.

SIXTH PHOTO: Heart-wrenching handmade signs attached to a Lahaina dust fence along Honoapiilani Highway on Sept. 13 are part of a montage of photos and signs pleading for help for pets lost within the cordoned-off fire zone. The Maui Humane Society, which was allowed into the burn zone in late August to look for live animals, has been calling for foster families as its kennels fill with displaced animals.

SEVENTH PHOTO: A sign near Wahikuli Wayside Park lets folks know they are loved on Sept. 14 in Lahaina. The Wahikuli area marks the northern boundary of the fire that destroyed more than 2,200 structures in Lahaina.

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